A Working Mom's Resolution

Since the meltdown incident happened, I've been more determined to take the necessary steps to achieve my goal of becoming a work-at-home mom.  I'm just taking baby steps actually, but still.  And so, for me to be constantly reminded of my vision and how to get to it, I'm making a list here:

1. I will not bring home work anymore.  This is so I can (1) devote my time to my boys and (2) have more time for researching on possible business ventures or work-at-home options.
2. I will learn to trade stocks online.  I've been a member of Bo Sanchez's Truly Rich Club since April but I never really got to opening a trade account until last week. Let's see how far this could go.
3. I will be more involved with Little Dude's school activities.  This means that I will find time everyday to know what he did in school and research on what activities are best to supplement what is being taught in school. It's also good that his new school establishes good relationships with their students' parents (can't wait to attend my first ever PTA meeting! Haha!) every step of the way because I really want to be as active as I can.
4. I will exercise.  With all the things I need to learn, I need to have energy to keep me alive and excited. I've always been a believer that being physically active is a good way to jumpstart accomplishing your tasks.  So... help me, Lord! Hahaha!
5. I will declutter and focus on the quality of life I'd like to achieve. I will surround myself with things (or people!) that will constantly remind me to be back on track.  I will devote more time to reflect, pray, and enrich my spiritual life.

There.  Maybe I should print this and keep it somewhere visible.  Lord, I claim success over my life goals, if You will, with your guidance.

Little Dude Said

Counting Game

While in the car on the way to the mall...

Hubster: I'm tired. I'm sleepy.
Me: I'm sleepy too!
Little Dude: I'm sleepy three!

Good job, baby!

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Playtime's Over!

One early evening, we went home just in time to catch Marcus getting inside the house after playing with the (much older) neighborhood kids.  After a while, little dude heard them still laughing outside. He peered through the window and shouted:

Quiet! Quieeeeeeeet! Stop laughing! Go home na. It's late! Marcus in my house!

I think what he meant by that last sentence was "Look at me, I'm inside the house already!" Hahaha! Either he was really just irritated with all the noise or he's bitter for not being outside with them. Hahaha

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Don't!!!

Lately, little dude has been fond of shouting and controlling. Oooooh it's so something we should deal with (actually are dealing with, will blog on this separately)! Here are some of his lines:

Don't kiss me! - when he's busy playing
Don't gigil me! - when dad starts tickling him
Don't shout! - when I get frustrated at him, actually a taste of my own medicine
Don't push me! - when I ask him to get off my lap or something (I don't push him, for the record)
Don't get that! - when we confiscate the phone

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Stinky

Little Dude (after taking a shower): I'm feeling fresh!
Me: Wow! So who's stinky?
Little Dude: Daddy!
Hubster: Whaaaaaat?!!

And I was the one who didn't shower with them! Hahaha! Pano ba yan, dad? Ikaw ang default na stinky e!

First Mommy Meltdown

Last Monday, little dude's teacher at his new school sent me an SMS saying that they'll be doing a home visit to get to know him before school starts. I love that about Marcus' new school ♡. Since their forte is on preschoolers, they really make an effort to ensure these kids are managed well. I think it's a pretty good strategy to prep them for the first day of school.

I said yes to Teacher Frances with a request that the visit be made in the afternoon or early evening when I'm back from work. I even texted her this morning to remind her to schedule the visit at around 3pm so I can just take the afternoon off work.

Around 9:30am while I was in a meeting, teacher texted that they'll have to drop by in the morning at around 11-12nn! I hurriedly finished the meeting and replied that I am going home and to wait for me. I dashed off the cafe where the meeting was, half-walked half-ran to my parking, and started the car. I had another meeting in the afternoon but I thought I'll just return to work later. Yes, I was going to drive from Ortigas to Sta. Rosa and back.

When I was about to speed off the parking area, I heard my phone ring and answered it right away. It was Teacher Frances. She said they were already in the nearby village and that they were going to our house next. I practically begged her to wait for me or to reschedule the visit some other day, but she said there's nothing she can do. She just called to assure me that it won't take long anyway and that it's ok if I wasn't there.

I totally broke down inside the car after that call! Of course it wasn't ok!! I felt pity and frustrated at myself. I cried like a baby for a good five minutes. It was the first time I really felt like I was not there for my son. Call me OA but for me it's a milestone in little dude's life. That event will never happen again. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to control the situation the way I usually do. I regretted working so far away from home.

It was my first why-do-i-have-to-be-a-working-mom moment. Sigh. Big sigh.

Now maybe this is a wake-up call for me to seriously consider working at home. Must. Think. Business. Now.

Little Dude Said

Last weekend, I met up with my high school friends at my parents' home.  It was a request I had to make so that I can stay longer with them while spending time with my little dude.

Tita Che:  May, sobrang kamukha ni AJ si Marcus! (Marcus looks so much like AJ!)
Me:  (rolls eyes) I know!
Tita Che:  (touching little dude's ears, who was then playing with my phone) Etong tenga, kanino? (Where did he get his ears?)

Me:   Kanino pa, e d sa tatay din! (From his dad too, of course!)
Marcus:  (looking up from the phone) No, it's mine!

Oo nga naman!  Hahahaha!

I miss my boys!

Marcus and I are staying at my parents' house for the week.  Why, you ask?  Because the hubby is on a business trip and I wouldn't want to be driving to and from work alone and without my carpool-mate.  Yes, I admit I'm a lazy driver but hey, driving south to north every single day is no joke!

Anyways, it's been three days since Jax has been away and I'm so proud of myself for not missing him that much.  Until tonight, that is.  Today happens to be my mother-in-law's birthday and she requested little dude to be picked up so she could spend time with him as our "birthday gift" to her.  That was fine because I was going to work anyway so I said yes.  However, I'm here back home and I'm used to not having a sweet boy greeting me with a "Hi, ma!" at the door. 

So, I thought to myself, this is how it feels when my baby becomes a teen and his dad is out on a race (Could he still be racing by then??!) or maybe they're together doing whatever boy-stuff. Oh, just thinking about it is making me sad.  I really should cherish this period when Marcus says I'm his favorite and his best friend.  Oh, baby, I need more time!  Can we possibly freeze time and stay like this forever?

Priceless

I love you, little dude! How can one not?!?

(Taken before we took off last night)

Singa-1, Singa-2, Singa-3, Singa-FOUR!

Bumenta to sa min ni AJ this morning while we were listening to the morning rush. Hahahaha!

It's so fitting because our little family will be trooping over to Singapore tonight.  I'm on business trip from Monday to Wednesday so Jax and I thought, why not go there earlier so we I can have a little weekend vacation (and them have a father-son bonding while I'm at the office!)?

It's going to be totally random - we have nothing lined up except for a trip to Ikea and a meet-up with my best friend, Hanika.  Will post about this next time. :)

Little Dude Said

"I want to come with me."

Because every time we go out, we ask him, "Do you want to come with me?"

Summer is Here!

.. and what better way to welcome it than with swimming playdate with little dude's friends?

 

This happened on Maundy Thursday.  Thank you, Tito Herbert, Tita Daren, Denver, and JM, for a super fun afternoon at the Wakepark and our swimming pool clubhouse! :)

New Work

Towards the end of 2012, I mentioned that I was going to try something new.  What is it, you ask? I moved to a new "second home".  It's still in the line of HR, in the beauty industry (more high end!), but this time not in manufacturing but rather, in distribution.

It was very difficult for me to leave because I love the people I used to work with.  They are a lot of fun and I have truly learned a lot from them.  That's where I first had a taste of this profession which I truly have the passion for.  It's with that company for women that I have experienced how to sincerely serve, to be fair, to manage events, to coach and train and motivate... there's just so much I learned! I must make a separate post on this one of these days.

If you're wondering why the move, well let's just say I let God fully take over my career and the opportunity's timing couldn't be better.  It came when I was at the peak of some doubts.  It took me a few sleepless nights to decide as I was already in my comfort zone (six years in my previous company wasn't a short period) and the work location does not agree with how I would've wanted it (it's in Manila, about 90km away from my little dude!) but I prayed hard for God to guide me and well, this is where He took me.

Although I'm still trying to get the hang of my new environment, there are a couple of things that I've been liking since I moved:

1. Access to events I've always wanted to go to but was constrained to do so because I was based far south and I did not have connections.

ManilaFAME!  I used to only read this from blogs!

Posh product launches

2. Convenience of city living made quick trips to the grocery, bookstores, salons, banks, etc. easy peasy.  Everything is about a 5-minute walking distance to my office.  There's a BPI just on the ground floor of our building, S&R is just a few blocks away, and High Street is within a stone's throw away.  Heck, if I didn't have anything to wear for an event a day before I needed it, I could just cross the street to Mango or Cotton on and I'm good!  Now, the tricky part is how to control shopping urges.  Hihi.

Got to experience the great S&R sale for the first time!

3. Also because of number 2, impromptu meet-ups with old friends is more likely.  Because almost all my friends live or work within the area, having lunch with them just needed a text and a quick check at my meeting calendar.

With college buddy, Omar, at Kitchen's Best

IE friends, Lei and Pao, at Slice

4. The pressure to be pretty.  For the past decade, I've been ignoring my appearance and my old kikay self took a backseat.  Having been exposed to the manufacturing environment where the no makeup look is a norm, I have forgotten how to blush my cheeks or put on a little color to my lips.  Add to that, my fashion sense needed attention since my wardrobe was predominantly jeans, polo shirts, or shirt jackets.  With my new job, however, everyone is really conscious of their get-up and coming into the office that seemed like a model's runway everyday, naturally, I have to cope!  I am proud to say that I've been buying a lot of dresses, blouses, and high heels lately.  I also have a one-on-one basic make-up application refresher course lined up. Hahaha!

Sample peg.  HMU c/o my lovely officemates.

5. The most important change that I am enjoying now is precious time with Jax.  Because we now carpool, we have at least two hours each day (one hour each going to and from work) to talk about our schedules, aligning our plans for the future, how to discipline our little dude, growing our finances, etc.  I love how we have created another communication venue for us that allows us to bond and (believe it or not) get to know each other even more.  During the first weeks, I felt like I was a new girlfriend again being picked up from the office by my boyfriend!

Like I said, this is all taking a bit of getting used to, but aside from the challenge of having to force hubster to pick me up by 6pm so we can come home to Marcus in time for dinner, I think I'm pretty much fine.

Little Dude's Third

It's been three months since we celebrated little dude's 3rd birthday.  Oh yes, this is another super late post! Grrrr! But never late than never, right?

This is what Marcus woke up to on the day of his birthday:

 

I would've wanted to fill our entire room with balloons; however, we didn't have time to order the ones with helium plus I wasn't sure we'd be able to hide it until the eve of his birthday.  Marcus enjoyed it nevertheless.  He kept on saying, "Ma, ba-yooon!" when he saw them. :)

For his birthday, we (all three of us plus yaya) just had lunch and went to Timezone at ATC.

 

As I've mentioned before, the little dude is so addicted to bowling.  Can you guess then what the theme of his school party was? ;)

The Monday after his birthday (which fell on a Sunday), we had a simple celebration at his school.  I intend to throw small parties for him every other year until he's seven (that means odd-numbered ages) when hopefully we could have a bigger "all-out" party for him.  This is what we wore that day - matching shirts with the bowling design in front and each one's "role" printed at the back.  I blogged a preview of our uniform here.

I made an effort to decorate the school's play area with round buntings and balloons.

 

I know, execution could be improved.  But hey, to my defense, everything was DIY so I did not have time to supervise yaya and hubster when they put this up.  Haha!  I was touched though that Marcus' teachers prepared a signage too:

 

Although we're having a simple celebration, I still got a themed cake.  How else can we sing a birthday song and have candle blowing without it anyway?!  I got this from Iko's for a very affordable price.  I really wasn't expecting much from them but I was pretty happy with the output.  I just dropped by their branch at Festival mall a week before the party and told them about the theme and voila!   I also ordered cupcakes in different colored marshmallow icings, the taste of which I loved, by the way.  If I'm not mistaken, I think I only spent about P800 for everything.

Toppers DIY-ed by me!

I also made sort of a dessert buffet table with candies and popcorn from Chef Tony's.  It makes an instant festive touch for small parties like this. 

Shortly after we did the set-up, the little ones fell in line and went outside the classroom to the play area where we were having the celebration.

Like I said, everything was DIY - even hosting! I initially wanted to get a magician or character host but decided against it a few weeks before because I felt it wasn't practical since it's not a big party anyway.  Therefore, I just researched for bowling-themed games and played game master myself!

 

One thing I learned from that experience is that it's so difficult to control kids! Naloka ako, promise!!! I prepared lots of games but ended up just doing two because I was already getting crazy by the end of the second game!  The teachers helped out on picking out who were going to join but they couldn't do much with the execution since there wasn't enough time for me to brief them.

For the snacks, I had the caterer from Marcus' first birthday to deliver packed spaghetti, chicken lollipops, and juice.  She did just that (deliciously, if I may add) and also brought treats for the kids.  I love her!  The kids and adults all enjoyed the food.

 

We also gave out prizes for the games and lootbags for the kiddos but I forgot to take pictures.  I just made gift bags from yellow construction paper, filled it with candies and small toys, and sealed it with a sticker which I just photoshopped to fit the theme.  Oooh here are some of the stuff I had printed:

Aside from little dude's classmates, Momsy, Papsy, Tita Ems, and Rafa were also there to celebrate with us. :)

At the end of the mini-party, I was so tired that hubby said next time we have a birthday celebration for Marcus, we should just go to McDo or Jollibee.  However, I'd still much rather want a themed party like this because (1) I want it to be as personalized as possible, representing what little dude's current favorite is, and (2) I'm a budget-conscious party planner at heart.

On his fourth birthday, I hope my little dude reaches the height requirement of most attractions in Disneyland HK so we can celebrate there.  Next party will be on his 5th! :)

Version 2.0

A conversation one night while little dude was sleeping...

Jax (while watching his son sleep):  Kamukha ko talaga anak ko, no?

Me (rolling eyes):  Unfortunately! Sana wag sa ugali.

Jax: No. He's going to be a better version of me.

Don't get me wrong. My husband is not an evil person. He has a good heart, really, it's just that he is not very good at expressing it.

So anyway, I'm just glad he acknowledges the influence I make in raising our son. I'm sure Marcus will grow up to be a very fine man because he has a great mom (ehem) and a much greater God. :)

Question of Readiness (Just Blabbing)

Lately, I've been starting to fancy another mom blog, From Stilletos to Ballet Flats and it made me reflect on how ready I am (or will ever be) for another baby.  I have another friend who I just learned is also pregnant and somehow the thought of little dude being bigger kuya dude is making me wonder.

No, I don't think I am ready now - physically because I am still enjoying my sexy body (Haha! I have only lost all my preggy weight now so pagbigyan nyo na ko!) and financially (I think this is hubby's major concern).  But more importantly, I feel like I am not yet ready to "share" the love I have for Marcus with another baby.   At least not now, that is. 

I know when we have another one it doesn't mean that the love will have to be split between them but rather there will be so much more.  However, I have this theory that no matter how parents say they love all their kids equally, there will still be that slight preference, kahit 0.00001%.  And that's what's making me a little sad.  Or maybe the more appropriate word is scared?  That I won't be able to divide my affection & attention equally and then end up being a "bad" mom to the other kid(s)' eyes?  Oooooh the fact that I am thinking about all these things just goes to show how not ready I am! And the last thing I want is for in the future (possibly) a growing baby in my tummy to feel unwanted.

So am I ever gonna have baby # 2?  Well, it really depends on God's plan.  If it were only up to me though, I wouldn't want to give birth anymore by the time I'm 35, which is only three years from now.  Bahala na si Lord to plant love and readiness in my heart when the time comes if ever. For now, I am really just enjoying being with my little dude. :)



PS And who am I to even think of having another baby when I'm sure the hubby just shudders at the thought?  Hahaha!

Grocery-ing with My Boy

One of the things I look forward to on weekends is grocery shopping.  More than my obsession with aisles upon aisles of household items (I swear I could spend a half day just browsing through the food and toiletries section!), it has also become my favorite bonding activity with the little dude.  I love how I am able to "control" (read: tantrum-free) him while he acts as my little gentleman.  We would communicate with each other over what to buy or where to go first.  He even pushes the cart for me and helps me unload the items from the cart to the cashier!

Baby, I hope you'd still want to spend Saturday mornings with me at the grocery even when you're much older.

Blogging From My Phone

I need a new phone! Hehe. Well, in fairness to the husby, he told me to get a new one a few weeks ago when he broke his phone. His plan then was to get a new plan, give me the unit, and I give him mine (which is an old HTC Sensation). But because I was being the ulirang wife then, I declined and told him to just get one for himself, which he later on did and now I'm envious. Hahaha!

One of the reasons why I want a new phone is because I want a bigger screen for when I'm blogging. Like now. Or maybe it's just a lame excuse to spend money on a gadget I don't even need? ;) Did you notice how I am so financial conscious now?! Lol

Anyway, I might be using my mobile phone to blog more actively moving forward. I have a lot to post like:

1. Little dude's 3rd birthday party
2. Another milestone post
3. My new job - oh yes, I just moved!
4. Schoolhunting for pre-school
5. Plans for 2013

.. and so much more! Will try to update every day this week. Good luck to me! :)

Wedding Suppliers Review

No, I did not get married again.  No plans ever whatsoever.  Like I said mid of last year, I was entrusted with the coordinator role for a very good friend.  This post is actually a suppliers' review from the point of view of a wedding planner.  I was not able to take a lot of photos though. :(


Arlene (the bride) and I go way back in highschool.  So when she said that she wanted a simple, practical but elegant celebration, I was not surprised because that's very much her style.  It was a non-traditional intimate civil wedding enjoyed by her closest family and friends.

Food and Venue - The Atrium at Enderun
The place did not need any decorations as it was already beautiful on its own.  Definitely no need for heavy styling.  The almost floor-to-ceiling windows for me provided a "balanced" ambiance, mixing both the freshness of outdoors and the classy-ness of the indoors.  I love the high ceiling!

 

There was no need to use tiffany nor ghost chairs as the available furniture already complimented the interiors.  The account manager told us this could fit about 100pax but personally I think it could only accomodate about 80.  Our headcount was only half this number and because of that we were able to bring in the photobooth inside, at the far end of the hall.

 

We also managed to set-up a lounge area at the back.  That's also where we positioned the temporary tattoo station that the couple requested.

The only negative thing I could think of was that the air conditioning system seemed to work inefficiently.  I had to tell the waiter several times to bring down the temperature but they couldn't do anything about it.  In fairness, the event was from 12 noon to 4pm and that day the sun was really high up there.  However, I felt that since they were allowing functions at that time of day, they might as well ensure that the temp won't cause inconvenience.  Oh, and the AE that was assigned to us wasn't very quick to reply to my messages, good thing the staff on the day made up for it.

As for the food, everything was delicious.  What can I say, it's a school for the culinary arts.  They won't have a good reputation for nothing.

Photography - MyPhotato
I only got to read about them in w@w's FB page but I have never met them nor seen any of their works until the wedding day.  About a week before, I got in touch with them to mention some concerns on the AVP.  The person I talked to was cooperative and really took time to reply to my messages.  The crew was also early at the preps venue - in fact, I think the bride was still sleeping when they arrived.  Hahaha! 

The photographers (I think there were about 5 of them) were very relaxed the entire time.  They worked silently (hence the nice candid shots) and made people feel at ease during the photo ops.  The OC part of me though wished that they took more photos.  There were times when I'd look for them during the program because I felt like they were not as "involved" as I would've wanted them.  But then again, that's just me.  The couple was very happy with their output, including the same-day photos played during the latter part of the program.

More photos can be found here.


Souvenirs - Flipbooks
I am personally amazed at this new trend in photo-based party favors.  It was my first time to see (and experience) flipbooks.  Instead of the regular photo booth, you are to record a seven-minute video, every frame of which will be printed in a small sheet to form a booklet.  When you flip the pages, you get to watch the short clip.  Totally cool.

Now in terms of performance, all I can say that they were very accommodating and easy to transact with.  Their call time was 10am but they were already there by 9am.  They were also friendly and patient in explaining how the picture/video station works.  I will surely recommend them for future events.

Bride's Gown and Groom's Barong Coat - Amonn Velasco
I recommended Amonn to Arlene because I was very happy with my gown made by him/her during my brother's wedding 2 years ago.  I cannot comment on their service for this particular case because it was really the couple who had an interaction with them. However, I can say that they really did a good job with the bride and groom's attire.

Flowers/Event Styling - Joe Honrado
Less than two weeks before the wedding, the bride surpised me - with a task that is to find a florist!  During the start of our prep meetings, Arlene wasn't keen on getting an event stylist because she wanted to do a lot of Pinterest-worthy DIY projects.  However, due to lack of time, she wasn't able to push through with this and resorted to a florist at the last minute.  I contacted a few suppliers but they couldn't work on the budget that I was given.  It was a good thing that Joy (the MOH and also a good friend from the same barkada) and I had a chat and she mentioned her uncle who could help us.  She gave me his number and we just coordinated through phone.  On the wedding day, whoa!! I was sooo impressed!

Everyone was commenting on how beautiful the flowers were.  I couldn't agree more.  Tito Joe definitely went over and above our expectations!  He's so humble and nice but his output is really high-standard.  I heard he used to have a flower shop in New York before he moved back here with his family.  I'm definitely promoting him for future weddings.

Cake - The Little Cake Company
Melissa, the owner, is actually Arlene's cousin.  She is very nice and easy to talk with.   From what I know, she's a dentist by profession but lately she's been more involved with her baking business. It's just a shame that I wasn't able to take a photo of the cake but it was absolutely a pretty sight.  It's a two-layer white fondant cake with light purple dots through out.  While it looks beautiful, the taste is even more than that.  Hubby is not so into sweets but the carrot & walnut-flavored cake really got him.  The fondant icing was soft and chewy, unlike the others that become hard once placed inside the ref. 

Solemnizing Officer - Manila Civil Weddings
Because I like the mood in my blog to remain positive, I will limit my comments on this supplier.  Heeheeee... All I can say is, if you know someone who can officiate weddings without having to go through a "broker" like this one, that is the better option.

I also did several DIY projects (table numbers, station labels, on this wedding but of course I am not including those in this review.  It was just a good outlet for me to do artsy-crafty stuff.  :)


Overall, I had fun coordinating this wedding.  It was an enriching experience, actually.  I hope I get to do more of this soon.  Cheeeeeeers!!!